Printer challenge question

OK, I am a dentist who needs to print only a few time as a month. I dont make a living off of how good my prints are. I need the color to be reliable for lab communication and for insurance, but it does NOT have to be professional quality. The largest I want to be able to print is 8x10. Anything larger then that I send out already. I want to be able to print right off my computer at work and not send out, but yet I dont need professional quality.

Guild me.

What should I be looking for. Keep in mind I live on an island in Alaska (which also plays a role in the quality I need or am looking for) and we really only have one small business supply store and a WalMart where I can get ink and paper readily.

I am tempted to just get a consumer quality printer from Walmart, but they only carry ones that print off in 5x7 at the largest. Is there a huge price jump when you go for 8x10?

Is HP better then Lexmark or Dell? HP is stalked more then the other two here, and seems to always have ink in stalk.

Any of the consumer grade printers would fit the bill. I'd stick with either Epson, Canon, or HP. For what you're after, you could get something in the $100 range. Because of your location, if you have better access to HP consumables, then I'd go with HP.

I was in Ketchikan last year an went on a hike in the rainforest with the wife of a local dentist (know of her?)......it was fabulous! You might consider a printer with ink that comes in separate tanks. I like the Canon Pixma 850 as an all-in-one machine and the 970. Both use the Canon 8 ink tanks and I've been really pleased at how long they last. I had the 850 and now have the 970. The 850 was recently replaced by the 870 and I think they have re-formulated the ink. One thing that I really like about the Canon printers is you can print straight from RAW by using Canons DPP software.

What ever you do, don't get a Dell printer. The cartridges are difficult to find and also costly.

crn3371 wrote in post #6003218
Any of the consumer grade printers would fit the bill. I'd stick with either Epson, Canon, or HP. For what you're after, you could get something in the $100 range. Because of your location, if you have better access to HP consumables, then I'd go with HP.

When the box says up to 5x7 photo printing, does that mean you cant print a full 8.5x11 page of a photo cuz the photo printer and regular printer are different?

Needsnow wrote in post #6003513
I was in Ketchikan last year an went on a hike in the rainforest with the wife of a local dentist (know of her?)......it was fabulous! You might consider a printer with ink that comes in separate tanks. I like the Canon Pixma 850 as an all-in-one machine and the 970. Both use the Canon 8 ink tanks and I've been really pleased at how long they last. I had the 850 and now have the 970. The 850 was recently replaced by the 870 and I think they have re-formulated the ink. One thing that I really like about the Canon printers is you can print straight from RAW by using Canons DPP software.

Well, there are at least 7 local dentists who are all married (I believe) and since it wasn't my wife, I can narrow it down to 6. Any other hints as to who it was?

jr_senator wrote in post #6003864
What ever you do, don't get a Dell printer. The cartridges are difficult to find and also costly.

I kinda figured I would stick with HP if possible, just cuz WalMart has been stocking those and the ink for a few years pretty good now.

I would like some pointers as to what to look for and what to avoid though. Any other ideas out there?

Check Ebay for a good used printer and some low-priced ink cartridges. I bought a Canon i960 photo printer (which will do 8.5" x 11" prints) that way and I get all my Canon OEM ink cartridges on ebay at a considerable discount. Shipping will probably be more expensive but you should be able to get a good deal just the same. I buy my photo paper online after searching for the lowest price. Ususally I go with Amazon.com or Newegg.com.

I live in the Detroit area and have a ton of local sources but I almost always find better prices online.

Roach711 wrote in post #6006492
...I almost always find better prices online.

Ain't that the truth.

Actually, for the purposes you've indicated, an inexpensive colour laser printer may be plenty. The HP Color LaserJet 260x goes for $400 or so, and you won't need to worry about ink tanks drying (or aging) out. Mine is something over a year old and on the original cartridges.